The Western Hemisphere. General term for the Americas following their discovery by Europeans, thus setting them in contradistinction to the Old World of Africa, Europe, and Asia.
There have been findings of furnaces that suggest bog iron smelting in the Ohio and Pennsylvania area that pre-date European contact.
But it seems to have been a lost technology.
At the time of European contact the “natives” were very much in the stone age.
And there is evidence of copper smelting on the upper peninsula of Michigan. And I just went through the Space Museum in Almagordo where they have an iron meteorite on display with a story about how the Indians smelted the iron out of meteorites.
I'd like to see some evidence of any of it. What is the first thing they would make with metals? I'd bet weapons. Iron? Copper? Where did they go? Then cooking implements? Can't say they decomposed. If they developed that technology, it must have been just before they were wiped out. A culture with copper dart points or iron axes would have a much better chance at survival than a similar culture with rocks. And an iron skillet beats the hell out of a clay pot.
I'd like a dollar for every time we've gone around the block about the origins of metal smelting.
Anywhere.
Something is wrong here. War, disease, death, destruction, hunger, filth, poverty, torture, crime, corruption, and the Ice Capades. Something is definitely wrong. This is not good work. If this is the best God can do, I am not impressed.
The consensus was that we could not imagine the circumstances whereby metal might be smelted naturally. That leaves "unnatural" and the only thing I can think of is that someone threw the wrong rock into a pottery kiln and later said..."holy shit! I wonder what THAT is."
Something is wrong here. War, disease, death, destruction, hunger, filth, poverty, torture, crime, corruption, and the Ice Capades. Something is definitely wrong. This is not good work. If this is the best God can do, I am not impressed.
I was actually amazed to find any cartoons coming up on the search string "ore smelting cartoon."
Something is wrong here. War, disease, death, destruction, hunger, filth, poverty, torture, crime, corruption, and the Ice Capades. Something is definitely wrong. This is not good work. If this is the best God can do, I am not impressed.
The consensus was that we could not imagine the circumstances whereby metal might be smelted naturally. That leaves "unnatural" and the only thing I can think of is that someone threw the wrong rock into a pottery kiln and later said..."holy shit! I wonder what THAT is."
